Injuries to star players are nothing new for the Buffalo Bills, and just when it seemed they might be past that, another key player suffered a setback last weekend. After missing two earlier games this season, standout middle linebacker he was injured multiple times on the field before eventually leaving due to an ankle injury.

As the Bills prepare for their upcoming game against the Seattle Seahawks, head coach Sean McDermott provided an encouraging update on key player. McDermott noted, “He’s excused today for personal reasons, but he’s also still dealing with the injury, so he won’t be here.” McDermott added that his status would be evaluated on a daily basis.

The difference between day-to-day and week-to-week is important. While there are still two more practices before an official game-day decision, Bernard seems to have a good chance of playing. His presence would be crucial, and the linebacker group looks strong with Dorian Williams, one of Bernard’s teammates, fully participating in practice on Wednesday.

LB Dorian Williams appeared to be a full participant during media-viewing portion of Wednesday’s #Bills practice. Williams sustained a knee injury during Sunday’s win over the Titans #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/8QYTrSXGeY

— alex brasky (@alexbrasky) October 23, 2024

Even though they are 4-3, Buffalo might face a difficult test from Seattle. The Seattle running backs, Zach Charbonnet and Kenneth Walker, can make life difficult for defenses, and the Bills have been one of the league’s weakest teams against the run.

They are both big, have a strong running style, and can break tackles to create chunk plays. As the defense tries to contain this gifted pair, it will be crucial to have Williams and Bernard ready to go at linebacker.

Despite their numerous errors, the Seahawks fell to the Bills for the following reasons.

“You don’t want to play against two teams at once — yourselves and the opponent,” as the old coaching saying goes.

This saying, focused on self-discipline, highlights how unforced errors can be just as damaging as anything your opponent does.

On Sunday, the Seahawks effectively played against two teams: themselves and the other side. And both gave them a beating.

Sometimes, losses are due to a string of unlucky breaks unrelated to the other team’s ability. That wasn’t the case here. Despite the Seahawks’ disarray in their 31-10 loss to the Bills, Buffalo’s roster was actually more banged up than theirs.

This performance further demonstrated that the Seahawks and the NFL’s best teams are separated by a wide margin.

“It got out of control when you’re doing the things we did today, and that’s the result of a good football team outplaying us in all three phases of the game.” In addition, we didn’t help ourselves,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald stated. It’s a long list of items. If you would like, we can look over each line item individually. In summary, we were outcoached and outplayed, and we need to go make amends.

In case you were wondering, here is the laundry list with four items.

1. Seahawks center Connor Williams snapped it over quarterback Geno Smith’s head on second-and-goal from the Buffalo 3, resulting in a loss of 19 yards. Early in the second quarter, the Seahawks made it 7-3 over the Bills by settling for a field goal.

2. With the score still 7-3 in the second quarter, Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith dropped after seeming to be tripped by Williams’ leg on fourth-and-goal from the Buffalo 1. This resulted in a turnover on downs.

3. On a third-and-seven from Seattle’s 24, after an incomplete pass, Seahawks linebacker Derick Hall hit Bills quarterback Josh Allen late. This wiped out a 5-yard illegal motion penalty against the Bills and handed them a first down at the 12-yard line. Two plays later, Allen connected with tight end Dalton Kincaid for a 12-yard touchdown, extending Buffalo’s lead to 14-3 with 18 seconds left in the first half.

4. In the third quarter, with the Seahawks trailing 17-3, Geno Smith’s pass was tipped by Bills defender Casey Toohill and intercepted by Austin Johnson on a first-and-10 from the Buffalo 40. The Bills capitalized with a touchdown on the following drive.

Missing receiver DK Metcalf, the Seahawks lost primarily due to a string of mistakes, much to the amusement of the Lumen Field crowd. They were simply overpowered by a better team.

By the time Buffalo stretched their lead to 31-3 in the fourth quarter, the Bills (6-2) had outgained the Seahawks (4-4) by 416 yards to 141. Josh Allen ended the game with 283 passing yards and two touchdowns, while running back James Cook racked up 111 yards on 17 carries.

One highlight for Seattle’s defense was cornerback Josh Jobe intercepting Allen in the second quarter. However, that takeaway led to no points, only a turnover on downs—a fitting blow in a lopsided loss.

Six days ago, I argued that after the Seahawks’ 34-14 away victory over Atlanta last week, expectations should be lowered. However, the Seahawks have lost by 13 points, 12 points, and 21 points, respectively, to the Lions, 49ers, and Bills—past opponents who seem like real Super Bowl candidates.

That’s a valid question, in my opinion. Macdonald, whose club began 3-0 but has already lost four of its last five games, said, “We talk about stacking wins around here, and when you’re going on and off, back and forth, it’s frustrating.” “In order to move our program in the direction we want it to go, you want to be able to build on the positive things we’re doing. It’s quite depressing and annoying to take a step backwards as you did today.

When Hall’s costly late hit forced him and teammate Jarran Reed to separate on the Seahawks sideline, you could see that rage growing on the field. As Macdonald responded to inquiries regarding the running game, it was evident that the Seahawks, who started the game 27th in rushing yards per game, only managed 32 yards on the ground. Equally worrisome is the run defense, which has not improved.

To be honest, considering the Seahawks’ 9-8 record from the previous season, this is about where they were predicted to be. In some way, they are still tied for first place in the NFC West.

However, when they play beside the Seahawks, it’s obvious which elite teams they are.

The Seahawks undoubtedly committed too many errors on Sunday. Even if they had those plays back, they probably would have lost.